Voter turnout has ballooned in London's Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea for the local council elections, rising nine percentage points to 39.7 per cent. The numbers came in at 1.30am on Friday, more than three hours into a tense count at Kensington Town Hall. A total of 37,835 votes were cast in Thursday's local council election in the borough. While the result is still awaited, Labour has already conceded defeat in the borough, where the party had made a push to grab blue seats. Labour council leader Robert Atkinson said there was never any great hope there would be a red takeover. "We were never going to run the council," he said. But he remained bullish about the chances of grabbing Tory seats as the count continued into the small hours of the morning. The highest turnout in 2014 was in Norland, where 34.4 per cent of eligible voters turned out. This time around a higher turnout in the ward where Grenfell Tower sits was predicted by candidates keeping a close eye on Labour … [Read more...] about Local elections: Voter turnout well up in Kensington and Chelsea

Polling day in the May 3 local elections for Hillingdon is nearly upon us. This means you'll get the chance to vote for the ward councillors you want to represent you in the borough for the next four years. Voting is vitally important - as councillors make decisions on issues including education, housing, transport, social care and waste. That's why we've rounded up a full list of the candidates - and parties - standing in every ward in Hillingdon ahead of polling day. Hillingdon is strongly Conservative-controlled at the moment and has been for 20 years, but Labour is hopeful of capitalising on the potentially damaging issues of Brexit and austerity and hopes to take more seats in the middle and north of the borough to diminish the Tory majority. Read More News from around Hillingdon They have a major task on their hands to accomplish this though, as the Conservatives currently have 42 seats and Labour just 23. You can cast your votes at polling stations from 7am to 10pm on the day. … [Read more...] about Here’s who you can vote for and how to vote in Hillingdon

Ealing Council doesn’t listen to its residents and is too busy focusing on “pet projects” and national issues rather than helping people with the things that matter to them, the borough's Conservative leader has claimed. Speaking ahead of the May 3 local elections in which 69 Ealing seats are up for grabs across 23 wards, Conservative group leader and candidate for Hanger Hill ward, Greg Stafford, said his party was campaigning hard and focusing on local issues which he said the council “doesn’t care about” such as rubbish collection, fly-tipping and the state of the roads. In reply, Labour group leader and candidate for Greenford Broadway ward, Julian Bell, makes no bones about the difficult financial position the council faces along with all local authorities across the country, but said he hoped people would recognise it has done the best it can in difficult circumstances. Mr Stafford's comments are part of his party's bid to increase their number … [Read more...] about Sparring for votes as polling day looms for Ealing local election

Good morning! Welcome to The Morning Shift, your roundup of the auto news you crave, all in one place every weekday morning. Here are the important stories you need to know. 1st Gear: Yay? One of President Trump’s campaign planks, and indeed, a plank of his presidency, has been to “bring manufacturing back” to the United States, especially automotive manufacturing and steel and aluminum manufacturing (both of which are vital to the car industry). Trade wars are “good” and “easy to win,” he proclaimed. To help bring that manufacturing back, the Trump administration announced a 25 percent tariff on $50 billion worth of Chinese goods, including cars. That felt good and nice, since the American market is already too flooded with Buick Envisions (4,367 sold last month, or less than 1.5 percent of GM sales according to Automotive News), Cadillac CT6 Plug-In Hybrids (17 sold, yes, seventeen, not 17,000), and Volvo S60 long-wheelbase models … [Read more...] about Trump’s Trade War Is Going To Screw Over All Of Our Cars